OT How to Weatherproof Disconnected Electrical Components.

[projectnut]

As mentioned this is about electrical connectors, but not for tools or machinery. For a little background this question is about a 2020 Ford Expedition I purchased new last year. Recently I've been having problems with the passengers side running board. More often than not it will not retract when the door(s) are closed. It starts to retract, gets about 60% closed then extends to the open position. That in itself isn't the most serious problem with the system. In the last couple weeks on the occasions it does retract it acts erratically when the doors are opened for the passenger to exit. On several occasions I've had it fully extend as the door is opened, then fully retract as the passenger attempts to step on it.

The local Ford garage has diagnosed the problem as a defective drive motor. I'm more inclined to believe it's a bad sensor circuit, which I believe is incorporated in the door latch assemblies. In any case the dealer ordered a motor which is currently on back order. To prevent the running board from retracting as someone steps on it I've manually put them both in the out position and disconnected the motors. Both the male and female halves are now open to the weather and in locations where they are subject to water and debris kicked up by the front tires.

I'm looking for suggestions as to how I can seal both the plugs and sockets to prevent water and debris from entering, yet be able to unseal them without damage when the new motor arrives. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jwmelvin]

That silicone repair tape (stretchy and sticks only to itself) may work well, depending on how much the socket protrudes, if at all. If it doesn’t, maybe stuffing some cloth or paper towel in the cavity and then paint over the top with liquid electrical tape.

 

[ddillman]

fill the cavity with dielectric grease and tape shut or cover with plastic

 

[Bi11Hudson]

As a rule, Vasaline is about as safe a waterproofer as there is. To be more specific requires the details of the specific location and amount of time it will be "out of service". Something as simple as plastic sheet and electrical tape has served me well when at sea. There are caveats, of course. If it's protected, behind sheet steel, Vasaline and a sandwich bag and Scotch 33 should last a couple years.

.

 

[tq60]

Just tape it up well as other gunk may cause dealer to void warranty.

The work needs to be undone before you go back to dealer so good quality electrical tape will be fine for short time.



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[Jackle1312]

Plastic bag and tape works and is easy to remove

 

[markba633csi]

Plastic wrap and tape here also
-M
Are you sure the problem might not be connector-related? It often is with electrical in vehicles

 

[matthewsx]

Sounds like the dealer's problem to me, I'd call their service desk and let them know you're concerned about somebody getting hurt while waiting for the part.

John

 

[RJSakowski]

In addition to tape and plastic wrap, angle the connector upward if possible so that any water will drip away rather than entering the wrap.

 

[projectnut]

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I'm going to pick up a roll of the silicone tape later this afternoon. Between that, a couple wire ties, and a little dielectric grease things should be weather tight until the part comes in. The components are accessible enough so that they can be sealed individually and tied off in a position to minimize exposure to water and road debris.

The problem probably technically is something in the dealership's area of responsibility. In this case the temporary work around is simple and something I can do to minimize future problems while waiting for the part.

I've had an excellent working relationship with this dealer for over 40 years. They've gone out of their way many times to cover problems on vehicles that were long out of warranty, so a little effort on my part is something I'm more than happy to do. In fact I was the shop foreman in their auto service department for about a year after I sold my own shop. It was quite a change after working 60+ hour weeks for a decade.